


Family Portrait

by rubberglue



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-25
Updated: 2014-08-03
Packaged: 2017-12-21 07:59:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 3,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/897861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubberglue/pseuds/rubberglue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Arthur survives Camlann and returns to rule over Camelot's Golden Age. This is the story of their children.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written specially for jontinf whose AU I stole.

It is fear that floods his heart when he hears the news. His knuckles turn white from gripping the arms of his throne and the bright smile on Guinevere’s face falters when he fails to respond. 

Three years. 

Every month, when her bleeding started and they realise she hadn’t conceived again, Arthur would hold her in his arms, sharing in her disappointment. Except deep down in his heart, it wasn’t disappointment he felt but relief. As long as Guinevere remained without child, he could keep her safe.

And now, she stands before him and tells him otherwise. Her eyes are sparkling, her hand splayed protectively over her still flat stomach.

“Are you not pleased?”

He forces a smile on his faces, pushes away the fear that has wrapped around his heart. “I am. Very pleased.” He knows she doesn’t believe him so he stands and pulls her into a hug, burying his face in her neck so she cannot see his face.

“Arthur,” she whispers as if reading his mind, her arms wrapping tightly around him. “We’ll be fine. I’ll be fine.”

+

There is screaming and every sound tears at his heart.

“Are you sure she’ll be alright?” 

“Martha is very experienced,” repeats Gaius calmly as he fusses with his vials and bottles. 

Arthur continues to pace. “Where is Merlin? I don’t want him or his magic near Guinevere.”

“He’s gone to pick herbs for Gwen. She’ll need them after the baby is birthed.”

“Guinevere will be fine,” Arthur chants to himself. “Guinevere will be fine.” It does nothing to ease his anxiety but at least it gives him something to do.

When one of the maidservants flings open the door in excitement and pants that the Queen has given birth, Arthur springs to his feet, the heavy feeling of dread lifting from his heart. 

He doesn’t see the remnant blood, the slightly squashed face or the wrinkles. All he sees is the most perfect being cradled in the arms of his greatest love. Guinevere smiles tiredly at him and his heart swells. Reaching out an arm, she beckons him to her and ignoring the tutting of Martha, he climbs onto the bed and holds mother and daughter in an embrace.


	2. Chapter 2

The first time, the other nobles frown but say nothing. Camelot is the most powerful kingdom in Albion, protected by the most powerful warlock. No one dares complain about the gurgling child in a basket on the round table between the King and Queen.

Soon, it is the absence of Ariane that raises eyebrows. 

Ariane plays under the table, on the table and crawls into everyone’s laps (although she knows to avoid Lord Rhys). Queen Annis in particular finds her hands full with a squirming child pulling at the chain she wears around her neck. She grumbles under her breath, but smiles when Ariane snuggles into her bosom and falls asleep. 

As Arthur and Guinevere attempt to mediate a land dispute between Lord Rowan and Lady Bea, Ariane laughs and points her damp, just-out-of-her-mouth fingers at Sir Percival who is pulling faces at her. Soon she’s in Percival’s arms, playing with a quill Elyan passes to her.

“That’s it for today. Thank you.” 

There’s a murmur of replies as the nobles and knights rise from their seats. Ariane is distracted by the movement and abandons the quill she was playing with. Arthur calls her name. Immediately, Ariane, as always, launches herself at him. Beside him, Guinevere smiles as he slips his free arm around her shoulder, dropping a kiss on her head.


	3. Chapter 3

When Ariane is barely two, her sister is born. 

This time, Arthur cuddles Ariane as they wait in Merlin’s room, telling her about how she needs to be a good older sister. The fear and dread in his heart isn’t any less than before but this time, he needs to be strong for Ariane. He tells her of the time she was born, of how he looked at her and fell hopelessly in love with her and how it’ll be the same with the new baby. 

She gets bored with his lecture after a while and she pushes herself off Arthur’s lap and goes over to where Merlin is. 

“Magic,” she commands. (Arthur is forever sore that that’s one of the first words she learns.)

Merlin obliges, conjuring up smoke dragons for her, partly because he knows Ariane loves them and partly because dragons annoy Arthur. Ariane laughs and claps her hands and even Arthur has to smile. 

A few minutes later, a maidservant bursts into the room with good news.

Ariane clambers onto the bed then pokes at the new baby’s face in fascination before Arthur catches her hand in his. 

“Baby.”

“Yes Ariane,” says a tired Guinevere. “She’s your sister. Can you say her name? Elaine.”

“No,” pouts Ariane. “Hug.”

“Come sweetheart,” says Arthur as he pulls Ariane up. “Mum is busy right now. She’ll give you a hug later.”

Her face scrunches up. Arthur glances at Guinevere who sighs, slowly moving Elaine from her breast. “Here. Take Elaine. Come here darling and give me a hug.”

It takes some maneuvering but soon there’s a happy Ariane in Guinevere’s arms and a sleeping Elaine in Arthur’s. And Arthur thinks that his life could not be more complete.


	4. Chapter 4

“Sire, I found these two at the castle pond.” Sir Leon says before beating a quick retreat.

_Coward._

Arthur stares at the two girls in front of him. They are covered from head to toe in mud and only their wide smiles can be seen. His first thought is that Guinevere is not going to be happy. Before he can form his second, a pair of muddy arms wraps around his thigh.

“We went to catch frogs at the pond like you used to, Daddy! I caught two but Leon made me put them back!” Ariane pouts. “I bet you didn’t have to put your frogs back.”

Elaine babbles something as well before attaching herself to his other leg. He can feel the wet mud seeping through his trouser’s leg. Quickly, he picks the two girls up - Ariane is far too old to be carried but he needs to ensure they don’t slip away from him and yells for George to clean up the floor. 

“Draw a bath!” he tells Merlin who opens his mouth to protest that he’s no longer Arthur’s servant, then seeing the two mud monsters in his arms, nods and dashes off.

They are in Merlin’s room. Merlin and Arthur are completely wet but at least the girls are clean. Ariane tells them the long story of how they escaped Tasha’s clutches (Ariane is easily distracted and Arthur never finds out how they ran away from their nursemaid) and went to the pond while Elaine laughs and splashes water all over. 

“Don’t tell -”

“I won’t,” says Merlin solemnly.


	5. Chapter 5

Usually, Guinevere is with them when they make their weekly trip to the Sunday market, except she’s tied up with politics. Still she insists Arthur go on without her.

With merchants descending on the market square from all over Albion, It’s a good place to interact with the people and get a feel of what is happening around the castle. Arthur is well-loved and people are willing to chat with him. But when Ariane and Elaine are with him, he is adored. Everyone crowds around him, eager to see the two princesses. Ariane soaks up the attention, smiling and laughing and blowing kisses to the crowd, and it is only Merlin’s firm hold on her hand that stops her from wandering off. Elaine, on the other hand, buries her face in Arthur’s shoulder. 

Amidst the fawning, Ariane tugs Merlin to a stall selling all sorts of trinkets - ribbons, jewellery and lace. Hefting her into his arms, Merlin allows her to take a closer look at all the shiny bits on the table. Her eyes light up and it is only Merlin’s quick reflexes that stop Ariane from grabbing a handful of items.

Ever since Mithian visited a week ago, Ariane had developed a love for ribbons and gems and anything shiny. It did not help that Mithian had given her a small jewelled box, telling Ariane that it was a place for her to put her most precious belongings. After that Guinevere had noticed her jewellery missing, only to discover that the culprit was Ariane. As punishment, Ariane was not to have any new things for a month. 

Mostly, Ariane didn’t care. Except for now.

“This.” Ariane points at a small brooch. The stall owner hands it over to her despite Merlin’s protests. Ariane’s face breaks into a huge smile and she cradles the brooch gently. By now, Arthur has made his way over. “Can I have this Dad?”

“No. You are not allowed to get anything new, Ariane.” Arthur says firmly.

Her lower lip trembles. “But I want it.”

“Ariane, no.”

Merlin hugs her. “Your father is right sweetie. How about you give back the brooch and we look for some chestnuts. You like chestnuts right?”

“I don’t want chestnuts. I want this.” Her small hand clutches the brooch tightly and Arthur can see the beginning of tears in her eyes. Around them, a silence falls as everyone watches the royal family.

Arthur reaches over and pries the brooch out of Ariane’s hand, ignoring her sobs. “What did mum say about buying new things?”

Between sobs, Ariane chokes out, “she says that I cannot always have what I want.”

“And why can’t you have new things this month?”

Still sobbing, Ariane answers, “because I took mum’s things without asking.”

Arthur passes the brooch back to the stall owner then cups Ariane’s face, his thumb wiping away her tears. “That’s right. Now, you can’t have the brooch but you can have some chestnuts alright?”

Ariane puts her thumb in her mouth and nods unhappily. Putting her back on the ground, Merlin takes her hand again and walks her to where the chestnuts are sold, chatting to her to distract her from her grief.

Arthur lingers behind, his hand idly stroking the back of the sleeping Elaine and when the two of them are out of sight, he turns to the stall owner. “How much is that brooch? Do you have two of them?”


	6. Chapter 6

With two daughters and a kingdom to run, it’s little wonder that Arthur cherishes the brief hour alone he has with Guinevere - an hour in which they do not talk about the children or the kingdom. Instead, Arthur teases Guinevere about her new fascination with lace work and she fusses over an injury he suffered in training.

Her fingers run slowly across the bandage around his shoulder and goose pimples rise in their wake. He catches her hand, then kisses her palm gently.

“Does it still hurt?”

“No, not when you’re here.” He pulls her closer until she falls into his lap, then nuzzles her throat, smiling when he feels her groan. “I love you,” he murmurs.

Guinevere’s fingers move down to his pants and Arthur hums in pleasure.

“How does it remain so good after all these years?” asks Arthur as he wraps himself around his wife much later.

“Practice,” laughs Guinevere. “Our time alone is almost up. We better get dressed.”

“I don’t want to. I want to -”

Footsteps can be heard outside their door and Arthur jumps off the bed, tossing Guinevere’s nightgown to her.

“Daddy! Mum!” Ariane pounds on the door and Arthur hears Tasha shush her.

“Give us a moment sweetheart.”

“Hurry! Elaine and I have something for you!”

When Arthur finally pulls open the door, the two girls tumble in as Tasha stands behind, apologising for cutting short their private time.

“It’s fine Tasha. We’ll take over from here.” Guinevere says as she scoops Elaine up, lifting her top to blow against her tummy. Elaine laughs and Arthur ruffles her hair.

Unhappy at not being the center of attention, Ariane raises her voice. “Look! Look! We made you something daddy! Merlin said you were injured today so Elaine and I made you a cookie.”

Arthur looks down at Ariane’s outstretched hand. What looks like something that could be found in the stables sits on her palm. She thrusts her hand towards him and he takes the burnt cookie.

“Eat it!”

From the corner of his eye, Arthur could see Guinevere smiling, laughter in her eyes. Sighing inwardly, he popped the cookie into his mouth, smiling widely and giving Ariane a thumbs up.


	7. Chapter 7

Tasha had asked for time off to see her ailing mother and Merlin had offered to look after the girls.

“Don’t think that being the temporary nanny means you don’t have to do your normal duties,” warns Arthur. He is rewarded with Merlin rolling his eyes, then asking the girls if they wanted to gather herbs with him. Arthur scowls when Elaine releases her hold of his hand and rushes to Merlin. Ariane is already at Merlin’s side, as she usually is. “Give me a hug first,” says Arthur, squatting down.

Obligingly, the girls run into his open arms with Elaine peppering his cheek with kisses. “I’ll miss you daddy!” she says.

Halfway through the day, as he and Guinevere are making their way down the sweeping staircase, Arthur realises he’s not heard a peep out of his daughters or Merlin.

“We should check on them,” he says to Guinevere, who indulges his overprotectiveness and agrees.

They walk hand-in-hand to Merlin’s room where they hear laughter. It eases the tension coiled in his chest a little and Arthur pushes the door open, expecting to see Merlin entertaining the girls with his magic.

“Is that my crown?”

Ariane looks up in shock, then whips the crown off her head. Elaine giggles. “She’s you daddy! And I’m mum! See?” Elaine points to the dress she’s wearing.

“You look very beautiful Elaine,” says Guinevere which makes Elaine beam even more. “And you, Ariane look every bit a king!”

“And who are you, Merlin?” Arthur asks as he spies a frazzled-looking Merlin sitting cross-legged on the floor beside the two tiny chairs. Arthur unsuccessfully hides a smirk.

“Don’t be silly daddy! He’s Merlin!” Elaine giggles again, then pokes her sister.

Merlin sighs. “I’m Merlin of course.”

“When I’m older, I’m going to be king!” says Ariane imperiously.

Elaine giggles once more and nods. “And we’ll get married like you and mum!”

In between laughter, Guinevere kneels down and gathers Elaine to her. “You can’t marry your sister, sweetheart.”

“Then I’ll marry Merlin!” Ariane says, then runs to fling her arms around Merlin, who laughs and kisses her hair.

“I’ll be honoured to marry you,” Merlin says and Ariane squeals in delight.

Arthur frowns. “There is no way in hell that - ow!” Guinevere looks up at him from the floor and shakes her head so Arthur bites his lips.

“We can all get married!” says Elaine happily.


	8. Chapter 8

It’s a beautiful day so Guinevere is surprised to hear from Tasha that the girls are playing in the room. When she hears who is with them, she smiles. Whispering to Arthur that she is going to check on the girls, she leaves the room to walk with Tasha. Along the way, Guinevere asks Tasha about her budding relationship with Kathleen, a maid in the kitchens. This leads to a rush of shyly expressed joy from Tasha, reminding Guinevere of the first few years of tentative courtship she enjoyed with Arthur.

They arrive at the girls’ room and Tasha places a finger against her lips before pushing open the door. Inside, around a small table sat Elaine and Galahad. Ariane hovered around, a pot in her hand, a frown on her face.

“No. You’re holding the cup wrongly!” Ariane slams the pot down and roughly grabs the cup from Galahad’s fingers. “This way!”

Guinevere clears her throat.

Elaine is the first to react. She jumps up, a wide grin on her face, and runs to Guinevere. 

“Mum!”

Galahad scrambles to stand then approximates a clumsy bow. He mumbles something which Guinevere assumes is ‘your majesty.’ She picks Elaine up and ruffles Galahad’s hair before being pulled by Ariane who demands that she stays for tea.

“Where are your parents?” Guinevere asks Galahad, slightly miffed that Lady Elaine would visit without telling her.

He merely shrugs then goes back to attempting to hold the teacup in the manner in which Ariane instructed earlier. Elaine mimes eating off an empty plate before holding it our for more and Ariane is both servant - pouring water into empty cups and leader - bossing everyone around from where to sit to what to say to each other.

Guinevere and Tasha are sharing a laugh as they drink pretend tea when Arthur arrives. With a wry smile, he settles down on the floor and is given a cup to drink from. As they indulge the children, Guinevere reaches out and takes Arthur’s hand under the table. He squeezes it, darting a warm smile her way.


	9. Chapter 9

First, she fusses over Arthur, plying him with his favourite food then snuggling up with him in bed, listening to him tell her about his day, murmuring encouraging words and peppering him with kisses.

Then she breaks the news.

“A sword?” Arthur sits up in bed and stares down at her. “You want to make Ariane a sword for her birthday?”

“I think it would be a lovely gift. Haven’t you seen her and Galahad fighting with sticks?” Guinevere sits up as well and snuggles back into his side as his arm slides around her. “She looks like she might be just as talented as her father.”

“A stick is very different from a sword.” Guinevere looks into his face and knows immediately what he is thinking of. They are the same worries that plague her. “Very different. Also, when was the last time you were in the smithy?”

Guinevere laughs against his shoulder, curling herself further into his embrace. “Of course I wouldn’t do it alone. Jaime will help. I was thinking a smaller sword with a jewelled hilt -”

“Why not just give her a locket? She would like that.”

“And she would love a sword. Arthur. You know Lancelot gave Galahad a sword a few months ago. Have you seen the way Ariane looks at it?” Guinevere drags her finger along the scars that mar his bare chest. “I know you’re scared. I am too but we can’t hide her away forever. She’s going to grow up.”

He grunts. “We give her a sword, next she’ll want to train with the knights and then she’ll want to lead them and it can only end in disaster. She is too young. Maybe when she’s older.”

Guinevere sighs. “When did you get your first sword?”

“I can’t remember,” Arthur mutters. Then, he leaves the bed to stand at the window. “My dad gave me a sword on my fourth birthday.”

“It’s Ariane’s sixth. I think we’ve waited long enough.”

“No.”

“Don’t be unreasonable.”

“Unreasonable? Have you seen how strenuous the knights training is? Have you seen how easily they can fall on the battlefield? Have you ever experienced the anguish of holding someone dying?” Arthur snaps, turning from the window.

Sucking in a deep breath, Guinevere stood as well. Slowly, she replied. “Have you ever waited night after night, with no news, with nothing but sheer hope for someone to return from a battle? Have you ever seen the person you love most carried back by knights, bleeding and wounded? Have you ever waited for weeks for a man everyone presumed dead to return? Do you really think I enjoy it?”

She can see the wetness in his eyes. He reaches for her and she moves into his embrace, muttering apologies. “It’s not easy. It’s not going to be easy for either of us,” she whispers, “but it doesn’t mean we let our fears stop Ariane from experiencing the world.”

Ariane unwraps a gorgeous sword with a jewelled hilt on the morning of her birthday with a squeal of delight. Immediately jumping to her feet with the sword in her hand, she announces, “I’m going to beat Gally up now!”

Arthur grabs her and pulls Ariane to him. “You don’t use the sword unless you’re with me. If I catch you using the sword when you’re not supposed to, I will take it back.” Arthur is rarely so firm with Ariane so she listens in shock. “Now thank your mother for the gift.”

Even Arthur’s words cannot dampen her high spirits and she grins and nods, skipping over to Guinevere to twine her arms tightly around her neck and kiss her in thanks.


End file.
